BOY SCOUT
ADVANCEMENT
REQUIREMENT CHANGES

Effective: September 1, 1996

Changes were made to the requirements for the rank of Eagle Scout and four merit
badges in the 1996-97 edition of Boy Scout Requirements. The changes became
effective immediately, except for Scouts who had already started a merit badge. They may
continue to use the old requirements.

The requirements have been significantly rewritten and now read as follows:

Visit your city, county, or state public health agency. Prepare an outline of the
agency's various services and

Explain them briefly to your counselor.

Explain how these services affect you.

Identify the four leading causes of death (mortality) in your community for any of the
past five years. Compare these with the four leading causes of hospital admissions
(morbidity) in your community. Find out how the public health agency you visited is
involved in trying to reduce both the mortality and morbidity of these leading causes of
illness and disability.

Tell about three professions of the people providing these services at the agency.

Name two diseases against which you should be reimmunized periodically.

Visit a restaurant or other commercial food service facility and observe food
preparation, handling, and storage. Interview a food service inspector and explain

How foods can become contaminated.

What conditions allow microorganisms to increase in number in food.

How microorganisms in food can be killed.

How dishes and utensils should be washed in camp and at home.

Do the following:

Show two ways of making water safe to drink under camping conditions.

Visit a water treatment facility and describe the steps used in making public drinking
water safe; OR visit the drinking-water quality-control agency in your community. Describe
how water quality is monitored.

Do the following:

Explain how insects and rodents can be controlled in your home, community, and camp.

Visit a municipal wastewater treatment facility and a solid-waste management operation
in your community. Describe how sewage and solid waste disposal is done safely in urban
and rural environments, and under wilderness camping conditions.

Do the following:

Describe the health dangers from air, water, and noise pollution.

Describe the health dangers from tobacco use and alcohol and drug abuse.

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